Queens and Lionheart
by Hyde's Bride
Summary: Upon the discovery of Tess, slain at the hands of the Lex clone, Oliver falls into agony, and Chloe decides to join forces with an unlikely partner to bring Mercy back to his life.


It started with blood. She was always surprised by the darkness of drying blood. It wasn't glaring as it was in the movies. It was deep, a rich crimson. It was truly shocking to see someone like Tess Mercer covered in such a substance. Her blood, like her ginger locks, flowed on the floor of the office. Tears mingled with her blood and her hair.

Oliver Queen held onto Tess' motionless form with a fierce vengeance. She had never heard anything that could compare to the sounds that seem to burst free from his throat. It was so primal. So animalistic. She just stood there, watching as this man she thought she loved held the lifeless body of the only woman he had ever loved, and silence was all she could muster. She couldn't speak words of comfort, of which she was always good at providing. She couldn't even walk over to lay a hand of comfort on his shoulder or to pull him away from the shell that once held a fiery soul.

She became aware of Clark's presence eventually. He seemed fully capable of doing what she couldn't. He pulled Oliver away. Oliver fought, of course, but there wasn't much use in fighting Clark. Instead he gripped onto his friend from another planet with the same ferocity which he had held onto Tess. Lois showed up later, as did the paramedics. She vaguely remembered Lois touching her, saying her name, and asking if she was alright. She was not sure if she answered. She just watched as they carried away the body. And still the blood remained.

Chloe Sullivan stood in an office for hours staring at the spot where Tess Mercer lost her life. It wasn't that she and Tess were that great of friends. For the longest time they hated each other. But there was a night when they were trapped together in Watchtower. Chloe saw a side of Tess she couldn't have predicted. There was a vulnerability there, and it was closely tied to Oliver. Oliver, who was probably still breaking down somewhere. Chloe had no idea where. At some point Lois finally won, managing to pull Chloe away. She was standing in Oliver's apartment, yet again in silence. She watched as he brandished a very large and intricate looking crossbow. His face was covered in fury and disdain, the likes of which she hadn't seen from him, even at his darker points.  
They didn't speak. He gathered his weapons and she watched. When he left she followed, still no words.

More blood. Chloe surveyed the scene. Oliver drenched in blood, looming over a deceased clone of a man he had known since infancy. It wasn't the real Lex, of course. It was Frankenstein's monster. And now, the village had spoken. She would have expected Oliver to use the crossbow to kill the clone, but he used it merely to immobilize him. It seemed the arrow sent some kind of poison into one's system, because the Lex clone screamed in agony when hit in the arm, and she could see something flowing through his veins that must have caused the pain. The archer then pulled out a knife from his boot. Chloe didn't even see him place it there. It had a jagged edge. She observed as he repeatedly rammed it into "Lex". Some of the wounds were quick. Others pierced his flesh slowly, almost intimately, as to draw the exquisite pain out as much as possible. The clone was lying on the ground consumed in blood, just as Tess had been. Oliver stood there with his chest rising and falling so fast, Chloe thought he might be hyperventilating. There was such savagery in the scene. The clone's blood dripped from Oliver's face. He looked like a madman with nothing to live for, nothing to lose. It occurred to Chloe that perhaps this is how Oliver actually felt with Tess gone. He had nothing left.

There were tears. She tried to comfort him. She kissed him, took him to her bed, but every touch felt stolen. Every movement felt forced. He wasn't there with her. He was wherever _she_ was. Chloe could see it in his eyes that wouldn't look at her and feel it in his hands that barely touched her. It ended with the tears in his eyes. Chloe pulled away, replacing the few buttons she had gotten around to unbuttoning. He buried his head in his pillow, and she simply lie there beside him.  
not touching, allowing him to grieve on his own. She felt powerless. Just as she had when they found Tess dead and just how she felt as Oliver enacted his revenge, Chloe was stuck in a state of still shock, unable to move, unable to assist. She couldn't comfort her way into a solution, she couldn't kill her way into one, and she couldn't fuck her way into one either. She had to rethink her strategy.

A thought faded into her weakened mind. There was something she remembered seeing when she put on the helmet. It hadn't shown her everything in crystal detail. Some things were mere glimpses. One of these glimpses involved someone she had encountered a few times over the last 2 years. This person had a book that may lead to a solution, something tangible Chloe could do to save more than one person. Finally Chloe moved. She rose from the bed where Oliver had fallen into a fitful sleep, and walked out the door with a spring in her step and a determined smile on her face. She made her way to Watchtower and fired it up, instantly pulling up the location of the one person who would be able to help her.

"Well, Witchy Woman, here I come," She spoke with a smirk as she stared up at a picture of Zatanna on the enormous computer screen.

* * *

"I owe Tommy shit. Tell him he still owes me for that thing with his wife." Zatanna, standing in a crowded, dingy bar spoke before throwing back a shot of whiskey.

The man next to her was stubby and grimey, He reminded her of a dirty hobbit. She rolled her eyes as she looked down at him.

"You didn't do anything a plastic surgeoun couldn't have done." he spoke with a ragged voice,

She chuckled, "You're freaking kidding right? Angela was a whale. I gave her a Victoria Secret body. Do you have any idea how much juju that took? He should be kissing my ass! I only took what I earned."

It was then that the elfin thug grabbed hold of Zatanna's arm, "Listen bitch..."

He wasn't able to finish his sentence before she waved her free hand to cause a bright flashing light, temporarily blinding him. He released her, and she began to walk away, but after a brief moment of disorientation, the man stumbled toward her again. With her back to him, Zatanna could hear a sudden shout of pain and a crash. She turned quickly, only to face something and someone very unexpected. Chloe Sullivan had just knocked the little bastard out.

"Charming acquaintances you have." The blonde remarked sarcastically.

Confused by her presence, "Oh yeah, he's a suave one...What are you doing here?"

Chloe approached her. "That is a long story."

* * *

"Wow! I can't believe I'm in the inner sanctum." Zatanna said as she stood in the center of Watchtower.

Chloe peeled off her green leather jacket as she flipped on the lights and computers. Zatanna gaped in awe at her surroundings. Her boots of black leather clicked on the floors as she walked. Her hair was long and dark, and it fell in loose curls around her face. Her eye make up was smokey, accentuating her crystal blue eyes. She was stunning with an air of sensuality and strength around her. However, Chloe wasn't fooled by it. She watched the raven beauty with keen observation, and was able to see that the bravado, the forced attitude, was skin deep. Zatanna was still that sad little girl who missed her daddy, no matter how powerful or talented she was.

"This is where you gather your gang of super babes."

Chloe smirked, "They are all pretty chizzled. But that's not really my role here anymore."

Zatanna turned to face her. "The Tess chick..." she continued, "I'm a little confused, Mrs. Queen. When last I saw you my little spell had you and Oliver becoming Ozzy and Harriett. Sure, the marriage wasn't legal, but from what I witnessed from afar, it seemed like you were pretending it was."

She sighed "Oliver and I are really good at pretending. We've been pretending through our whole relationship. And I'm not Mrs. Queen."

The witch strutted toward Chloe slowly with a tiny grin on her face, "Right. The woman with no name."

Green eyes turned cold, "The name is Chloe Anne Sullivan. I may not exist on the grid, but I sure as hell do to the people who care about me. Can you say the same?"

Zatanna's azure eyes dropped to the floor, "I can't. You're right about that."

Chloe felt guilty in an instant. Her hands gripped the brunette's shoulders "Hey...I'm sorry. That was low."

A resigned smile crossing her face, Zatanna replied "It's the truth. Anyway, I guess I was just wondering why you are so determined to bring back your boyfriend's dead ex."

Chloe approached the large circular window, "Oliver may not be the love of my life, but I care about him. He's family, just like Lois. Clark, and Lana. I would do anything for the people I love."

Dark eyebrows rose. "I guess we are pretty different."

Shaking her head, Chloe faced Zatanna once more "You forget that I saw what you were willing to do to bring your dad back. I saw the love there. You let it take you to a dark place. Believe me, I can relate."

The two stared at each other in silence. A heavy weight fell over the room, and there was some kind of invisible static, some unseeable force between them.

Clearing her throat, the dark beauty lifted the large book she was holding. "So...the spell's in here."

Chloe cleared a space on the desk for the book. "This spell...She won't come back craving brains? And we won't have to swap a life for her's or anything, right?"

"No. Tess has died three times, and none of them were natural deaths. First she was killed by Zod, an aien from another planet. Second, she was killed by...well, you."

Chloe huffed, remembering the plunging of a needle into Tess' chest. "Despite my inhuman ability to ingest large amounts of coffee, I'm hardly an alien."

Zatanna actually giggled, "No, but you were touched by an alien force."

Chloe smirked, "We're getting a little personal, don't ya think?"

Zatanna was really liking this chick. "Not like that. There was a time you developed meteor powers, not to mention when Brainiac possessed you."

She nodded "Ah I see. And her third death? That wasn't alien."

"No, but it wasn't natural either. It was by the hands of a clone, something created, not by nature, but by man. Therefore, none of these deaths were actually in nature's plan. That's why we can bring her back without suffering consequences. She wasn't meant to die. It wasn't her time."

"Makes sense. So what do I need?" The blonde inquired.

"Various herbs. That's the easy part."

Chloe grimaced, "What's the hard part?"

Zatanna sighed, "You will need the blood of all three people who killed her."

"What?! Why didn't you mention that before? How the hell am I supposed to get Zod's blood? He's trapped in the phantom zone."

Shrugging, she replied "I guess you'll have to make a little trip."

Chloe rolled her eyes at Zatanna's blase attitude. From what she heard about the place, the phantom zone wasn't exactly an exciting excursion. She remembered Oliver mentioning some notes or files he had saved to his computer about the place. She marched up to the keyboard and began hacking into Oliver's personal laptop. She scanned for the password.

"What are you doing?" her taller counterpart asked, as she took her spot beside her at the keyboard.

"I'm hacking into Oliver's computer. I know he keeps details about the zone in there, and I'm going to need all the help I can get. I'm just letting the system locate his password."

As she finished speaking, the computers began to ding. One word flashed on the enormous screen: Mercy.

"His password is 'Mercy'. Isn't that kind of weird?" Zatanna questioned.

Chloe paused. She remembered that word...remembered a poisoned Oliver crying out for that word.

"Tess Mercer. Mercy. It's what he called her," she answered.

While she had resigned herself to the obvious fact that she and Oliver were not meant to be, that it wasn't really love, but simply two people who came together at a dark point in their lives out of sheer convenience and lonliness, it still left a heavy feeling in he chest to know that he was holding onto the memory of another woman so tightly when he was with her.

Zatanna could sense the hurt in Chloe. No matter how big of a cheerleader she was being for the Tess and Oliver reunion, it's never easy to know that you're not enough for someone, even the wrong someone.

"You okay?" Her words were gentle and concerned.

Chloe plastered on her trademark smile "I'm fine."

She scanned the files on Oliver's computer until she found one about the phantom zone. "Bingo."

They were incredibly detailed. Oliver had even laid out maps. One map was of Zod's location.

"Well, at least I won't get lost." she quipped.

It took a few hours to gather supplies. Chloe tucked a knife in her boot, much like she had seen Oliver do the night before. She gathered her printed copies of Oliver's maps, and tucked a tiny vile in her pocket.

Zatanna poured random magical herbs into a cauldron and bit her lip nervously as she observed Chloe.

"Are you sure about this? Maybe I should go with you."

She appreciated the concern she could hear in the witch's voice. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. I need you here to pull me out."

She nodded. "I promise I will."

The two gazed at each other. There was an honesty, a candidness between them that neither could have predicted.

* * *

The dust blew all around her, making it hard to open her eyes or even breathe. Chloe had a scarf wrapped around her head and most of her face. She had never felt sand quite as rugged and rough as this sand. It scratched and cut at every piece of exposed skin on her body. The strong gusts were so powerful, she could feel herself being pulled sideways. It took every ounce of strength in her frame to keep plunging forward.

It seemed like she trekked for miles before she finally reached the makeshift community Zod had built. It reminded her of Thunderdome, this whole world had a Mad Max feel. She had gone back and forth over just how to approach this situation. She thought about blending in, being subtle about finding her way to Zod. But subtlety wouldn't work. Not with him.

She approached a heavyset, bald henchman. "I'm here to see Zod."

The alien laughed. It was a bellowing, hystarical laugh. "Who do you think you are little girl?"

Chloe pulled the scarf off her head, revealing her face. "I'm Chloe Sullivan, the best friend of Clark Kent. You may know him as Kal-El."

He pulled her closer, gripping her tightly by the shoulder with his enormous hand. "You claim to know Kal-El?"

"Yes. And you will take me to General Zod. Now." she demanded.

His eyes filled with anger at her commands.

"If you kill me before I get the chance to explain why I'm here, I'm afraid Zod will be very displeased with you."

He released his grip on her. "Follow me."

The alien lead her through a cave.

"Very badass." a voice in her head praised.

"Shut up." she muttered, causing the henchman to eye her with puzzlement.

Back at Watchtower, Zatanna chuckled. She had done a spell to link together her mind with Chloe's. She'd never done this particular spell before, and if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure she could pull it off. She wasn't sure she could resurrect Tess either. Despite all her vast insecurity, she did know she was talented, however all this was a tall order. But Chloe was asking it of her. She wasn't sure why that seemed to matter, but it did.

Back in Kryptonian exile, they came to an abrupt hault.

"Wait here." He ordered.

Chloe stood in the sparsely lit passage alone. "Wish me luck."

Zatanna smiled, "Luck."

Ahead, she could see a silhouetted figure approaching.

Chloe inhaled sharply and took a knee, tucking hert head down.

"General Zod."

The fierce Kandorian leader walked up to the human's kneeling form. He was scruffy and unkempt, completely different than the polished persona he had on Earth.

"Miss Sullivan, subordinate to the son of Jor-El."

She dared to look up. "Not subordinate. Friend. A much more advantageous position."

He looked intrigued. "You may rise. Tell me, what brings a mere mortal to the depths of space and time?"

She stood, holding her head high with confidence. "I am seeking you out to help you."

At this, Zod laughed. "Pray tell, how can you be of help to me?"

Chloe spoke with complete conviction. "For starters, I can get you back to Earth to enact your revenge on Kal-El. I have a witch on my side and an army to use against him."

"Why would you turn on Kal-El? Not a moment ago you claimed to be his friend?"

She huffed, "You must not be familiar with our recent history. Clar-Kal-El abandoned me when I needed him the most. I disappeared from the world, and he never bothered to search for me. He thinks I have forgiven that, but how could I? I sacrificed everything for him to become the hero, and he just forgot about me."

The words were intended to fool Zod, though she knew they would work since there was a truth to them. She and Clark had mended fences, and she was overjoyed about that, but that didn't mean that his abandonment after Davis and Jimmy died and his lack of worry when she gave herself to the suicide squad didn't still sting.

"He's an ass." A voice that wasn't Zod whispered. It gave Chloe her courage back.

"Hmm...I must admit, I am intrigued." Zod approached her slowly.

Chloe had the feeling she was his prey, as he stalked toward her like a wildcat in the fields of gold. His hand stroked her face, and she fought not to cringe. This creature tried to destroy her world. He almost killed her best friend. He did kill Tess. She allowed her eyes to get heavy as if she enjoyed the touch. His hand cupped the back of her head.

"Is destroying Kal-El to be the only benefit of this partnership?"

Chloe forced a smile, as only she could. "I wouldn't be opposed to further negotiations."

It was then that he pulled her face to his, clasping his lips onto hers. She felt like she could vomit when his tongue licked her lips. She knew she needed to grant him entrance, but every instinct in her body fought it.

"It's going to be okay. I'm there with you. You can do this." the voice spoke again, reassuring Chloe.

Suddenly it was Zatanna's lips on her's, Zatanna's tongue pushing its way into her mouth. She opened herself and accepted it, moaning in her throat. This of course, fueled the alien general on. He must have lifted her and placed her onto something soft. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she was on her back with Zod pressed over her small frame. It wasn't really him there. Rather than straight angles, there were curves. Instead of rough stubble, the face was smooth as silk, and the hair flowed like a river calling her home. Chloe writhed in ecstasy as Zatanna began kissing her throat.

"Oh god." she let out, breathy.

Back in Watchtower, Zatanna stood alone, her breathing heavy and her head tossed back, her hand slowly making its way to her chest before stopping abruptly.

Snapping back into focus, she said, "Chloe. We need to concentrate. You have to get the blood."

Chloe snapped out of her blissful trance, and was suddenly aware again that it was Zod touching her, Zod's mouth heading toward her breast. She flipped them over, straddling his hips.

He smirked, "The mortal seeks command."

Reaching down to her leg as she leaned a mere inch from his mouth, "You have no idea."

Pulling her knife from her boot she instantly stabbed the alien in the shoulder, drawing blood, that she caught with a tiny glass vile.

He cried out in pain. Chloe gathered the blood and proceeded to jump off him and run.

"Got it. Get me out of dodge." She shouted, before being catapulted through space and landing on her ass in Watchtower.

* * *

A hand extended itself in front of her. Chloe took it and rose to her feet, locking eyes with its owner.

Zatanna smiled awkwardly. "Great job."

Chloe cleared her throat, trying to think of anything but her psychedelic makeout session with the witch. "Thanks."

She handed the vile of blood over to Zatanna.

"So what about the clone's blood? How are you going to get that now that Oliver killed him?"

Gathering her composure, Chloe walked up to the banister of the staircase, grabbing hold of green leather. It was covered in blood.

"This should work. It's Oliver's Green Arrow uniform. He was wearing it when he...ended the clone."

Zatanna carried both the vile and blood soiled uniform over to her cauldron. She tore a piece of the leather and threw it in, and she lifted the tiny cap off the vile in order to pour the alien blood into the concoction.

"Now there's just a matter of...your blood."

Chloe walked up to the pot, and drew her trusty knife out. She raised her hand, and took a violent slice from it, allowing her essence, her life force, to drip into the cauldron.

The witch was in awe of this woman. She had never seen anyone so fierce in determination, so utterly devoted to a cause or to people. She knew Chloe must have been exhausted and drained, but she barely flinched when she cut herself. She stood in front of her with complete assertiveness and boldness to accomplish this goal, to bring Tess back. She was a lionheart, brave and ferocious.

The blonde pulled her wounded hand away, finding some cloth to press against the cut.

"Are we ready?"

Zatanna breathed deep, "As we'll ever be...you'll need to hold my hands."

Chloe wrapped some gauze around her injured hand before reaching both of them over to connect with Zatanna. There was nothing but candlelight and a few dim lights illuminating the room, as they gazed into one another's eyes, into one another's souls. She felt a magnetism, an energy unlike any other begin to vibrate all around them, as Zatanna began chanting words in Latin. The entire room pulsed. Chloe felt like she was shaking within, tremors wracking through her body even though she was motionless. The lights in Watctower flickered as the witch's chants became louder. Eventually, the lights shut off altogether, All of Metropolis went dark. All there was in the word were these few candles and Zatanna's glowing blue eyes. She held onto Zatanna's hands so tight that she was sure Zatanna could feel the warmth of Chloe's blood on her hand.

It started with blood. It ended with a burst of light that threatened to blind them both. It knocked the two women to the ground.

Suddenly the pulsating had stopped. The city was lit up again. Chloe and Zatanna were on the ground in a tangled mess as the doors to Watchtower flew open. In stormed Clark with Lois close behind.

"What's going on?" He asked in a state of panic.

Chloe looked up at her best friend. "Never mind us. We were just having a rave."

Clark looked confused. Lois punched him in the shoulder and ran up to her cousin, pulling her to her feet.

"You okay? I've been worried sick ever since yesterday when you were acting all cuckoo after we found Tess."

Lois had her hands on either side of Chloe's face. A genuinely tender smile came across Chloe

"I'm fine, Lo." she looked down to where Zatanna was rising to her feet on her own. It was then that Lois became aware of the witch.

She released Chloe, placing herself between her and Zatanna.

"What are you doing here? Taking advantage of my cousin's vulnerability to change her appearance? Or did you just roofie her again?" Lois accused with all the protective ferocity she was known best for.

The witch looked cornered, but Chloe stepped in. She turned Lois to face her.

"She was helping me with a spell. She hasn't done anything wrong."

Lois' eyes traveled between the two women, while Clark chimed in.

"A spell? What kind of spell?"

It was then that everyone's attention was pulled toward the desk by the window. Something moved, catching all of their eyes. Red mangled hair and large blue eyes peeked over the desk that covered a naked and shaking, but very much alive body of Tess Mercer.

Clark's eyes widened as he pulled off his coat, and rushed to Tess, covering her trembling form. He tried to pull her up from the ground, but she resisted, and while he could have forced her, he never would have. He saw her lying lifeless and bloody in Luthorcorp but a day before. He wasn't sure how she was back, but he certainly was relieved to see her, and he never wanted to hurt her again.

He stood in front of Tess, as if to shield her fearful self from the room. "How did you do this?"

Chloe sighed. She knew Clark would need a full layout of every detail, but she mostly wanted to get in touch with...

"Is everyone okay? What's happening?" A voice broke through the tension in the room.

Everyone's eyes flew to the doorway where none other than Oliver Queen stood.

"Sorry it took me so long to get here. The blackout lasted two minutes and still some geniuses were looting." He made a few steps into the room before pausing. "What?"

"Oliver." someone spoke, causing his heart to rise up in his throat. The archer had been hearing that voice in his head for the last 24 hours...but it sounded so real.

From behind Clark, a figure emerged. A bright light shone through the enormous window, causing a heavenly glow to surround her. It was merely a helicopter flying by, but to Oliver, it may as well have been something angelic. Standing not ten feet from him was his Mercy.

It was so unlike him, he was reserved, stoic. He had built up iron clad walls over a lifetime alone, but he ran. He actually ran. To her. To Mercy. He grabbed hold of her fiercely, and she fell into him.

"Are you real? How are you real?" He uttered in shock as he clung to her.

"Oliver Queen, existential? Never thought I'd see the day." she quipped, as he buried his face in her hair, breathing her in.

The rest of the occupants of the room suddenly felt extremely awkward and out of place.

Lois grabbed Clark's arm. "Come on Smallville, we can get answers in the morning." She pulled him away.

Chloe again found herself transfixed at the image of Oliver clinging to Tess, this time they were both breathing. This time Tess clung back. Chloe wasn't sure what to do, so she marched off through the smaller door, standing in the hall outside Watchtower. She was in a trance again. She had accomplished her goal, but she wasn't sure what place she had now. Oliver and Tess were reunited. Clark and Lois had gone. She stood alone. It was then that a hand on her shoulder finally snapped her back to reality. She reached up and held the hand. Zatanna lead Chloe away from there. She lead her to her apartment, where she laid her down.

Back at Watchtower, Oliver lie with Tess on the ground, hovering over her. The scene paralleled the day before, only this time there were tears of joy instead of blood. This time Tess touched Oliver, her skin warm, on fire, alive. It had been so long since they were together this way. They had never really been together this way. They were open and vulnerable. No more walls. And when he was inside of her, he felt he would burn from her life, and it was a heat he craved and never wanted to be without and never would be again.

* * *

The next morning Zatanna made her way to her front door, half asleep, only to find billionaire philanthropist Oliver Queen on the other side.

"I need to talk to her." was all he said.

She stepped aside to grant him access to the apartment and pointed to the door on the right, indicated Chloe's location. Oliver walked into the bedroom, finding the blonde putting on her jacket by a tiny window. She turned to face him. Silence sat heavy in the room.

"I'll never be able to thank you for what you've done for me." he spoke with reverence.

"Ollie..." she attempted to stop him.

"No, listen, please." he interrupted. "I don't just mean bringing her back, though that more than anything...I mean, I can't thank you for pulling me back to the mission last year, for sacrificing yourself to save me, for bringing all of us together and saving our lives again and again. There aren't words for that."

Chloe felt uncomfortable by this entire scene. She tucked her short blonde locks behind her ear. "You don't need words. I know,"

He nodded. "I really hope so. Chloe..."

She held her hand up. "I told you, I know. Why do you think I went through all of this? You love her. We aren't that. We were make believe. She is real."

She walked up and hugged him tightly. "Be happy Ollie. I plan to be."

And that was it. Their relationship ended in the most simple and honest way it could. They were friends. They were family. They would get through it.

* * *

Seven years later...

"She is always following me around!" whined the tiny blonde boy.

Chloe laughed as she finished typing up the latest chapter of her book on her laptop. "It's because she likes you."

He huffed, "Well, I don't like her! Her hair looks like carrots!"

"Carrots are good for you, Giovanni." A voice responded to the little five year old.

Tess smiled down at him, and he in turn looked up at her in awe. "I'm sorry Auntie Tess."

She laughed and patted his spiked blonde head. "No apologies needed, little man. Though, I think Lulu could use a partner in Shoots and Ladders."

He sighed, "Okay." walking off in resignation.

Both Chloe and Tess giggled heartily.

"Chloe..."

"Yeah?" she replied, squinting in puzzlement at Tess' nervous voice.

Tess cleared her throat. "I'm still not very good at this. I'm not good at showing or saying these things...but...I hope you know...how grateful I am. Everyday I wake up and get to see my daughter's face, get to hug my brother, get to help my friends...get to kiss my husband, every second of each day, I am so thankful for what you did for me. I wouldn't have any of this. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you."

Chloe's face lit up, as Tess ducked her head.

Chloe lifted Tess' chin with her finger "I know that. You have told me and shown me that pretty much every day for seven years. I think we're good."

The redhead nodded. "I almost believe that."

"Progress!" Chloe chirped, and they both chuckled.

Oliver popped his head in. "I'd hate to break up this tender girl moment, if you want I can bring your wife in here and things can get really exciting."

Emerald and sapphire eyes rolled, "My wife would do a spell to shrink your balls into tiny raisins if she heard that." Chloe replied.

"If I don't cut them off first." Tess added.

Oliver raised his hands in surrender. "Just throwing it out there."

The women laughed.

Later that evening, the entire gang gathered around the table in the mansion, as Lois brought out a gigantic purple cake.

Lex, the _real_ Lex, spoke up "You didn't bake that did you?"

Lana smacked his arm, though she couldn't hide the grin his words induced.

"I'll have you know my culinary talents have vastly improved. Right Smallville?" she stared down at her new husband, who was sitting at the table looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"You have many fine qualities." he responded nervously.

Lex cracked up, and Lois conceded. "Don't worry. I got it from a bakery." she punched Clark's shoulder for good measure.

Clark stood up and raised a toast, "We're here to celebrate Tess Mercer-Queen's second birthday. Today she turns seven years old."

At this, Lulu Queen giggled., causing Giovanni Zatarra-Sullivan to groan.

"Mommy's only three years older than me!" The girl had a mess of curly red hair and wore a green velvet dress.

Tess smiled. "But daddy is much older than us."

Lulu nodded, "Really old."

"That's my girls." Oliver laughed.

Clark smiled and cleared his throat. "I propose a toast to Tess, a survivor in every sense of the word! And to Chloe, without whom none of us would be standing here!"

Chloe and Clark shared a smile. She knew what he meant by this statement. It wasn't just that she brought Tess and eventually Lex back. It wasn't that her wife. Zatanna, found a way to remove the Kryptonite suit from Lana. It was everything. It was nearly two decades of friendship he was thanking her for. She knew.

Everyone raised their glasses.

Lois lit the number 7 candle on Tess' cake. "Make a wish."

Chloe warned, "I wouldn't do that around this one." she pointed to the woman next to her, "she's liable to turn you into a frog."

Zatanna shook her head. Her wife would never let that go.

Tess looked around at her family. What was left to wish for? She smiled and blew out the candle. Everyone cheered and clapped. Lois quickly began to cut the cake, and Lex made a joke about the reporter's appetite, which lead to her making threats to use the knife in other ways.

Oliver kissed Tess' head, whispering "Mercy." and words of love.

The kids bickered over who would get the piece of cake with more frosting.

Lex slid a tiny box, wrapped in purple ribbon toward his sister, despite Tess making it very clear no one was to buy her presents.

Lana placed her head on Lex's shoulder, never imagining they would be here, never imagining she would see the gentile generosity of this man again.

Clark attempted to assist Lois as she made a mess of cutting the cake, which was not met with much appreciation on her part.

Zatanna watched as Chloe, her partner in life, grabbed a measuring tape to prove to their son and Tess' and Oliver's daughter that their pieces of cake were the same size, and she couldn't help but snicker. She couldn't believe she had gone from having no family at all to having the most goofy, bizarre family ever known to man. It was beautiful. It was magical.

It ended with laughter. The laughter of a family. The laughter of many broken pieces made whole.

* * *

Happy Belated Birthday, Julie! I love you so much, and I hope you enjoyed this! There is more to come, but I'm not sure when. lol


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